Publication - Statistics
Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 142): 30 October 2025
Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) weighted Scotland data up to survey period 6 October to 19 October 2025 (Wave 142). The BICS provides statistics on how current conditions are affecting businesses in Scotland, including impact on financial performance, workforce, trade and resilience.
Key points for businesses with 10+ employees and a presence in Scotland:
- the top concern for businesses for November 2025 was falling demand of goods and services (16.9%); although an estimated 21.4% of businesses had no concerns
- for an estimated 20.0% of businesses the prices of goods or services bought in September 2025 increased compared with August 2025, and 6.8% increased the prices of goods and services they sold
- an estimated 12.6% of businesses were expecting to increase the prices of goods or services sold in November 2025; labour costs was the top factor for businesses considering price increases (reported by 32.6%)
- between August and September 2025, turnover decreased for an estimated 29.6% of businesses, with the Accommodation & Food Services sector having the highest share experiencing a fall (55.6%)
- in October 2025, an estimated 29.9% of businesses expected their business performance to increase over the next 12 months, up from 26.8% in the previous month
Note that the next BICS Scotland publication, with data to Wave 143, is scheduled for release on Thursday 13 November 2025.
Contact
For enquiries about this publication please contact:
Marina Curran
Business & Innovation Statistics
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
email: industrystatistics@gov.scot
For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics please contact:
Office of the Chief Statistician
email: statistics.enquiries@gov.scot